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There was a DOH Advisory Council on the Implementation of RA 9502 (Cheaper Medicines Act of 2008) last April 20, 2015 that I was not able to attend. The Secretariat failed to invite me, but at least they sent me the minutes of the meeting, Among the speakers that day was Atty. Allan Gepte of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), DTI and he was asked to give updates about the US (and PH?) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the European FTA (EFTA). He said that he was not aware of any current (PH-) USFTA negotiations and there are talks among EFTA countries. He gave some updates about ...more »

*An excerpt from, "Pakistan, Turkey agree to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation" Dawn.com, August 1, 2015:* ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met in Islamabad Saturday and agreed to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation aimed at fighting the possible threat from militant group Islamic State and other such organisations. The two leaders also discussed the enhancement of bilateral relations, besides global and international issues of mutual interest. According to Radio Pakistan, PM Nawaz said there are vast opportunities to expand ...more »

*Image:* The book cover for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's book 'Palestine' *Amir Taheri, New York Post: **Iran publishes book on how to outwit US and destroy Israel* While Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama do their best to paper over the brutality of the Iranian regime and force through a nuclear agreement, Iran’s religious leader has another issue on his mind: The destruction of Israel. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has published a new book called “Palestine,” a 416-page screed against the Jewish state. A blurb on the back cover credits Khamenei as “The flagbearer of Jihad to...more »

US Intel: One Year of War Hasn't Weakened ISIS Death of a Young Black Journalist Edward Snowden Explains Why Apple Should Continue to Fight the Government on Encryption Happy Birthday, Jerry! Visit Dead.net This year, we will be celebrating Jerry's life and legacy with a series of listening parties spotlighting some of his finest musical moments. Tune into

Iran's Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif *Politico:* *Iran’s foreign minister: Israel should disarm, too* Now that Iran has agreed to curb its nuclear program, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says it’s time for Israel to follow suit and abandon its long-rumored nuclear arsenal. “Iran’s push for a ban on weapons of mass destruction in its regional neighbourhood has been consistent,” Zarif wrote in an editorial for the Guardian. “And while Iran has received the support of some of its Arab friends in this endeavour, Israel — home to the Middle East’s only nuclear weapons programme —...more »

“Separated by about 14 degrees (28 Full Moons) in planet Earth's sky, spiral galaxies M31, left, and M33 are both large members of the Local Group, along with our own Milky Way galaxy. This wide-angle, telescopic mosaic captures colorful details of spiral structure in both, while the massive neighboring galaxies seem to be balanced either side of bright Mirach, beta star in the constellation Andromeda. But M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, is really 2.5 million light-years distant and M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, is also about 3 million light years away. *Click image for larger size.* Mir...more »

*"When Death Comes"* “When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps his purse shut; when death comes like the measle-pox; When death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering; what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness? And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look upon time as no more than an idea, and I consider eternity as another possibility, And I think of each life as a flower, a...more »

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative ...more »

*"The Silence"* by Chet Raymo "The hiding places of my power Seem open; I approach, and then they close; I see by glimpses now; when age comes on, May scarcely see at all, and I would give, While yet we may, as far as words can give, A substance and a life to what I feel..." "These few lines from Wordsworth's "The Prelude" leapt off the page at me this morning. They capture well enough what my life has become. All those years of teaching, of writing in the Boston Globe, were years of sharing public knowledge, knowledge that had been vetted by the scientific co...more »

*DoD Buzz*: *DoD to Ted Cruz: No list of U.S. combat deaths linked to Iran* The Pentagon says it has no idea what Ted Cruz is talking about. The flamboyant Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate seized the spotlight at a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to grill Defense Secretary Ash Carter about an alleged document listing the names of some 500 U.S. service members whose combat deaths can be directly linked to Iran. "Secretary Carter, I understand that the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency has a classified list of roughly 500 American soldiers who were murdered by ...more »

*"10 Steps to Making Change Easier: Smoothing Transitions"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Change doesn't have to be hard, here are 10 steps to help make it easier: *1.* Begin by making small changes or break up large-scale changes into more manageable increments. This can make you feel better about handling the changes you are about to make while making you more comfortable with change in general. *2.* Mentally link changes to established daily rituals. This can make changes like taking on a new habit, starting a new job, or adapting to a new home happen much more smoothly. For e...more »

*"Amnesty: Israel Committed War Crimes * *In Retaliation For Capture Of Israeli Soldier”* by Ben Norton “What we saw was not just war,” Rafah resident Iyad Ghaboun said of Israel’s summer 2014 attack on Gaza. “It was like a meat machine making mincemeat from people without mercy.” Israel carried out war crimes and “possible crimes against humanity” in its attack on Rafah, Gaza from August 1-4, according to a new report by Amnesty International. When Hamas fighters captured an Israeli soldier and took him into a tunnel, the Israeli military initiated the “Hannibal Directive,” unleash...more »

*As recently as two years ago, when binary_bob took the top photo, posted on Reddit (click to enlarge), the once-mighty but long-doomed-following-abandonment Domino Sugar plant on Brooklyn's once-industrial waterfront still retained a large measure of its grandeur. The lower image, is a rendering of the redevelopment plan (click to enlarge), courtesy of SHoP Architects, looking east and slightly southward, with the Williamsburg Bridge at the right. Quick: Can you find the refinery building itself?* *"One cannot help but drop his jaw whenever the former Havemeyer or Domino Sugar ...more »

Just the other day, I put up a "mini" rant to hopefully catch up on many of the subjects that have been on everyones' minds over the last two weeks while I was off on a much needed vacation break.... One of the subjects that I did cover in one paragraph was the startling news that the very toxic and carcinogenic poison known as Glyphosate has been purposely added to pre-harvested Wheat and has been consumed now by most everyone for the last few decades... I stated that the side effect of this ingestion of commercial grade Glyphosate doused wheat is the rapid rise of the disease know...more »

*“11 Red Flags As We Enter The Pivotal Month Of August 2015”* by Michael Snyder “Are you ready for what is coming in August? All over America, economic, political and social tensions are building, and the next 30 days could turn out to be pivotal. In July, we saw things start to turn. As you will read about below, a major six year trendline for the S&P 500 was finally broken this month, Chinese stocks crashed, commodities crashed, and debt problems started erupting all over the planet. I fully expect that this next month (August) will be a month of transition as we enter an extremel...more »

Family members of Osama Bin Laden were killed in a private jet crash in Hampshire on Friday, the Saudi Arabian embassy in the UK has said. It came down near Blackbushe Airport, close to the Surrey border, killing the pilot... The post Bin Laden Family Members Involved in Fatal Plane Crash appeared first on The Stream.

When I heard the words, “It’s a boy!” from my husband just eight months ago, my eyes flooded with tears. We wanted to be surprised, and didn’t know if we would be welcoming a little boy or a little girl.... The post It’s a Boy! appeared first on The Stream.

*Video - *Google is being criticized over a controversial new service, Your Timeline, that reveals just how much it knows about the places you go. The post Why You Should Think Twice About Using Google’s Your Timeline appeared first on Waking Times.

"Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur," a Latin phrase, means "The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived." The saying is ascribed to Petronius, a Roman satirist from the first century, CE. "The pontifex maximus Scævola thought it expedient that the people should be deceived in religion; and the learned Varro said plainly, that "there are many truths, which it is useless for the vulgar to know; and many falsities which it is fit the people should not suppose are falsities." Hence comes the adage "Mundus vult decipi, decipiatur ergo." - http://en.wikipedia.org/

I have said it before, and it appears that I need to say it again... The "terrorist" group known as ISIS (or ISIL, Daesch, or what ever the US/Israel criminals think of next) is absolutely a massive fraud and a scam... It was created by the Israeli Mossad and the US CIA to take over where their previous fraud known as "Al Qaeda" had failed miserably.... "ISIS" basically is a propaganda weapon that uses the fraud of "terrorism" to generate the psychological effect of fear on gullible people..... And thanks to the gullibility of the majority of people, it has worked beyond the crimina...more »

Uber’s battle with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, which culminated this week in a temporary truce while the city “studies” Uber, shines a bright light on the struggle between progressivism and new technology that goes much deeper than... The post ANALYSIS: Uber is Just the Tip of the Iceberg appeared first on The Stream.

*"Trump’s books tend to blur together, with anecdotes and achievements enhanced with each retelling. . . . I'm no billionaire, but much of the advice usually falls between obvious and useless."* -- Washington Post *nonfiction book critic Carlos Lozada, after binge-reading eight books by Donald Trump* *by Ken* You remember back in April when that crazy guy swam the Gowanus Canal for Earth Day, and lived to tell the tale? Until now I would have held that out as a latter-day prototype for sheer raw guts. Now, however, *Washington Post* nonfiction book critic Carlos Lozada announces ...more »

Ohio GOP's most effective weapon was long Chris Redfern Earlier this morning I mentioned that the Florida Democratic Party is probably the worst and least successful of any big state's in the whole country. I'll stand by that. But... Ohio's state Democratic Party has been a mess for a very long time as well. Another one in shambles. This column from yesterday's Cleveland *Plain Dealer* was written by Brent Larkin, who was the paper's editorial director from 1991 until he retired in 2009. He knows what he's talking about. The funeral of former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Paul Tipp...more »

(By Cecil Blubberpuss, Esq) *L*et us come not to praise Cecil but to bury him. At least, the pieces that are scattered around Walter Palmer's den in Minnesota. But let us also mourn what Cecil represented to many: A $45,000,000 safari industry in Zimbabwe that is now on hiatus thanks to the untimely slaying of Cecil's brother, Jericho. I have a heart. After all, I, too, have a brother named Cecil, although he'd make for very poor sport, considering his asthma and unhealthy addiction to fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. When we'd play hide and seek around our fath...more »

I said yesterday that today I would write about the chances of peaceful change in Canada and other parts of the world. But yesterday, I thought, was Saturday. It wasn't. It was Friday. It's not my fault. My university never had a required course on how to tell which day it is. So I shall write it on Sunday which is tomorrow, right? ______________________________________________________________________________ I'm going to start today with a letter to the editor. "Government not a 'universal' provider.". This was written by an obviously intelligent (if smug) university student. It's a...more »

*I thought this was humour but then I realized, it wasn't!* We have all seen many, many images of foreign fighters with KurdIShIS. - Pretty obviously *Special Ops soldiers *fighting alongside KurdIShIS- Americans, Canadians, Brits, French etc., * Recall the dead Canadian in the “fog of war” shooting. Killed by the KurdIShIS ally.* *“ Doiron, a soldier in the Canadian Special Operations Regiment based at Garrison Petawawa, Ont" * *The Canadian government swept that murder under the rug, lickety split!* We have heard their British, French, American, Canadian accented voices on far...more »

*Death to all tyrants and oppressors.* *An excerpt from, "UN describes Turkish airstrikes against PKK as self-defense" by Majeed Gly, Rudaw, August 1, 2015: * NEW YORK—The United Nations described Turkey’s recent air campaign outside its borders as self-defense and in accordance with the organization’s charter. *“This action taken by Turkey was done in accordance with the UN Charter, as a way of exercising their self-defence. That is what has been explained to me by Prime Minister Davutoglu.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a press conference on Wednesday.* Ban Ki-moon w...more »

Bolivian Parade August 8 @ 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm| Free [image: Facebook]0[image: Twitter]0[image: Reddit][image: LinkedIn]0[image: Google+][image: Email] The 12th annual Bolivian Parade will lite up Jersey City as the colorfully costumed marchers make their way from Hamilton Park traveling down Jersey Ave., turning at Newark Ave., then onto Grove St. and ending in front of City Hall.

*Video - *Bruce Lipton explains epigenetics and how your thoughts, and the thoughts of those around you, can directly influence the state of your health. The post Epigenetics: How Does Your Mind Reprogram Your Genes? appeared first on Waking Times.

by Jim Horn When the mainstream Washington media finds news on low test scores among public schools, they love to accentuate the negative and to ignore the positive. On the other hand, when new research about charter schools that can't be ignored comes to the corporate editorial offices, the spinners go to work to do just the opposite. As in the latest coverage by National Journal of the recent CREDO study on Texas charter schools. The study's press release begins with this: *"The results of CREDO's Texas report shows that on average, charter schools in Texas show less progress ...more »

Ask your average person on the street about elections in America, especially federal elections for high political office, and most will tell you it's all about fundraising, advertising, and politicians selling out to plutocrats and giant corporations in order to raise money and support for their campaign for office. This is especially true when it comes to the 2016 presidential campaign. A recent report originally published by *Variety* highlighted the entirely corrupt nature of the American political process. The article describes the manner in which SuperPACs are utilized by all t...more »

*In the summer of 2013, after I had come back from the first trip to Morocco to meet HTJ, I was traveling thru Pacific Beach community of San Diego. * *I got a little lost and tried to find my way to the Pacific Coast Highway….after I hit a T junction on Mt Soledad. I turned left but never hit the highway [Pacific Coast Highway] I was looking for and then after [what seemed] twenty minutes found myself going back up the very same hill I just left… it was like a time warp or dimensional warp took place… or a timeline hiccup? It was the strangest experience, and yet only 6 min...more »

Robert PotterAlso I have a friend, Robert Potter, who as a teenager was friends with Dr Fred Bell who had frequently Pleiadian encounters with the one known as SEMJASE (she contacted Billy Meier in Switzerland). *What is SEMJASE? * *What is Robert Potter? * *I am assuming Dr Bell is back on ship now after his death on earth.* *DR. BELL is on the SPHERE ALLIANCE and visits the NEPTUNE and ADVENTURE very frequently. HIS WORK was SUCH LOVE> * *ROB POTTER is the one who is a dot connector / COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER and CONDUIT of TRANSMISSION. HIS WORK as the EARTH VESSEL ROB ...more »

Ah, Stoke-on-Trent. How I love thee. It's not the oatcakes that captured my heart, but the utterly dysfunctional local politics. And the latest twists and turns by nominal Council Leader Dave Conway has caused my heart to throb even more. This week the long, drawn out saga of the new council offices' concrete floors has got resolved. As predicted by this blog, there was no real cause for concern. However, Cllr Conway has ruled out a proper move. One of the two buildings is to be occupied by council staff, and the other will be marketed for tenants until this capital asset can be dis...more »

*1. **Are house cats more than they appear?* *Here in the alps is the most amazing collection of awake and aware cats I have ever seen. In particular are three males, Umzaki who has markings that look like a mustache and goatee, IXSU, who has human like eyes and is extremely intelligent, and Tephirot who is the most peaceful serene animal I have ever met..* *Are cats a type of BIU (biological interface unit)? They have exceptional intelligence, agility, an eyesight, and seem to patrol the premises….* *2. Also can you comment on the recent meteor in Iran* SEE: https://www.yo...more »

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (AP) — After hundreds of rescue workers fanned out across a massive swath of the Atlantic for a full week, the Coast Guard’s search for two teenage fishermen ended Friday, a heart-rending decision for families so convinced the... The post ‘Gut-Wrenching’ Decision: Search for Teenage Fishermen Suspended appeared first on The Stream.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Blazes raging in forests and woodlands across California have taken the life of a firefighter and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes as an army of firefighters continue to battle them from the... The post Firefighter Killed, Hundreds Flee as California Blazes Burn appeared first on The Stream.

My goodness, today's *Dateline London *was fun, for those of us who like such things! (All seven of us probably.) It was a rather intense battle between the soft-left and the hard-left over the Calais crisis, Jeremy Corbyn and Cecil the Lion. In the left-liberal corner stood Michael Goldfarb of *Politics Europe *and in the hard-left corner stood Owen Jones of *The Guardian. *Marc Roche of *Le Point *sided with Owen Jones. The two BBC attendees, Gavin Esler and BBC Turkish correspondent Safak Timur, split - with Gavin going (as ever) with Michael Goldfarb and Safak going with Owen...more »

http://impactglassman.blogspot.mx/2014/08/here-is-irrefutable-evidence-that.html ------------------------------ “Support MH17 Truth”; OSCE monitors identify “shrapnel and machine-like bullet holes” indicating shelling; no evidence of missile attack By Prof Michel Chossudovsky Global Research, July 29, 2015 Global Research 31 July 2014 Original Here *This article was first published by GR on September 9, 2014. In the context of the July 29, 2015 United Nations Security Council Resolution vetoed by Russia, ...more »

*L.A. Times: **Pentagon seeks cyber-weapons strong enough to deter attacks* The folks who brought the world the mushroom cloud are hard at work at a new project – coming up with cyber-weapons so strong that their very existence would deter foreign governments from attacking U.S. databases and critical computer systems. The idea is to try to adapt a military concept that helped keep the world safe from nuclear bombings during the Cold War to the digital battlefield of the 21st century. For four decades, the U.S. and the Soviet Union built up massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons bu...more »

A Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State in Syria accused Turkey on Saturday of targeting it at least four times in the past week and called on U.S-led forces to “clarify” their approach toward Ankara in light of this. The accusations... The post Syrian Kurdish Forces Fighting ISIS Say ‘Provocative’ Turkey Targeting Them appeared first on The Stream.

A newborn baby girl who was found alive in a dumpster in western Kentucky remained in a hospital Friday, and a teenager was charged with attempted murder, a law enforcement officer said. The McCracken County sheriff’s office said the baby... The post Newborn Girl Found Alive in Dumpster in Kentucky; 1 Charged appeared first on The Stream.

You might call Vernon Hill a reverse Paul Revere. Most Americans like to believe that the U.S. is still a land of opportunity, the place where anyone can start a business and make a profit. But Mr. Hill issues a... The post ANALYSIS: The Demise of the Small American Bank appeared first on The Stream.

Firewall breached: NSA has created a map, showing how Chinese hackers have successfully breached American cyber-security more than 600 times to steal secrets from businesses and government and military agencies in the past five years *New York Times:* *U.S. Decides to Retaliate Against China’s Hacking* The Obama administration has determined that it must retaliate against China for the theft of the personal information of more than 20 million Americans from the databases of the Office of Personnel Management, but it is still struggling to decide what it can do without prompting an ...more »

The week at Retraction Watch featured the correction of a widely covered study claiming to find evidence of the plague and anthrax on New York City subways, and rulings against scientists suing Harvard, a journal, and the CBC. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: Workers in the lab of Sylvia Asa and Shereen Ezzat, who have had […] The post Weekend reads: What really happened in that lab?; best excuses for falsifying data and rejecting grants appeared first on Retraction Watch.

*SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015By now, Our Own Version of Fox:* Does Rachel Maddow’s “campaign coverage” *ever* make any real sense? Is it possible that her campaign coverage is a form of partisan entertainment, designed with an eye to ratings? Consider her relatively truncated campaign coverage on Thursday night’s Maddow Show. After showing us photos of Rep. John Lewis with puppies, she made a presentation about Candidate Trump that pretty much has to be false: MADDOW (7/30/15): Anyway, so here’s Donald Trump today, the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, ar...more »

'A Texan man who tried to shoot an armadillo has found himself in hospital after his bullet bounced off the animal and hit him in the face.' Karma? More here http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bulletproof-armadillo-puts-texas-man-in-hospital-after-shot-bounces-off-hard-shell-10432102.html

*expected high today is 100°.* Must head out to get some outside work done. Be back later... Excuse please the language below, but it really made me laugh out loud. It really speaks to how I feel about so many of the huge "issues" in the news. [image: photo attempting-to-give-a-fuck_o_378640_zpsaslreb3n.gif]

An Assyrian Christian woman who was kidnapped but recently released by the Islamic State terror group, ISIS, has revealed the jihadists stormed her home and forced her to trample on an image of Jesus Christ at gunpoint. “They stormed in... The post ISIS Forces Assyrian Christian Woman to Trample Jesus Christ’s Image at Gunpoint appeared first on The Stream.

*Daily Mail:* *Pictured: Osama bin Laden's sister who 'died alongside his stepmother' when their £7million private jet exploded after overshooting runway and crashing into car auction in Hampshire* * Plane overshot the runway at Blackbushe Airport on Hampshire border * The £7m jet crashed into a carpark and exploded after hitting the ground * Rajaa Hashim, Osama's stepmother, named among those killed yesterday * Sana bin Laden, Osama's half-sister, and husband Zuhair Hashim, Osama's brother-in-law also named as being killed by family friend * Other fatality believed to be Jordanian...more »

Like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Alan Grayson isn't fooling around. He is willing to fight-- for real-- for the legitimate interests of American working families. There are a lot of politicians willing to talk as though they are, but few who are actually willing to go up against the vested interests of the oligarchs and plutocrats who extra-constitutionaly rule this country. As former President Jimmy Carter told Thom Hartmann Tuesday, the United States is now an "oligarchy" in which "unlimited political bribery" has created "a complete subversion of our political system ...more »

When I woke up way too early this morning, the first thing I noticed was that alpha dog Sirius had beaten me to it, even getting out ahead of Old Sol in the rising department. Some might call this presumptuous. But if Jeb Bush's Billionaire Job Creators have the Right to Rise before everybody else, why not Sirius? The Dog Days are upon us, spelling all manner of catastrophe and general misery. Or, so the ancients cheerfully believed. Not like us moderns, who live under the false impression that the Dog Days have something to do with panting dogs lying around in the heat because i...more »

*M Ilyas Khan, BBC:* *Mullah Omar death: Why is Pakistan silent?* The Taliban have confirmed that their leader Mullah Omar is dead, and are thought to have appointed Mullah Akhtar Mansour as the movement's official head. But there has been an eerie silence in Pakistani quarters in the 24 hours since the Afghan government announced that Mullah Omar died in a Pakistani hospital in April 2013. This was despite reports that the top leadership council of the Taliban had been meeting in the Pakistani city of Quetta to choose the successor. Pakistan's state television has ignored the new...more »

Federal and state governments spent $1.02 trillion on welfare in 2014 — an increase of $274 billion, or 36 percent, since 2003 after adjusting for inflation. At the federal level, the welfare bureaucracy spans numerous agencies and includes more than... The post ANALYSIS: How Welfare Spending Hurts the People It’s Supposed to Help appeared first on The Stream.

KJ, Fee and Chris learn not to be surprised... SOURCE GUARDIAN: Businesses pocket £93bn in subsidies and tax breaks Taxpayers are handing businesses £93bn a year – a transfer of more than £3,500 from each household in the UK. The total emerges from the first comprehensive account of what Britons give away to companies in grants, subsidies and tax breaks. Many of the figures, especially on

Nothing is free and Windows ten makes that point crystal blue methamphetamine emphatically I was never looking out for Windows 10 its the new broken windows theory from me do not take anything from Microsoft its never risk free Its seems Microsoft wants to own you and me that's the new code for free common sense it do not make no sense no more. An upgrade used to be a good thing not planned obsolesce and personality mapping ran amok Just wait till that free software malfunctions and you need help because your life depends upon that system Do you think there might be a charge large...more »

Christine Morgan, BBC This week's *Feedback *on Radio 4 was a 'religion special'. Some listeners felt that Radio 4 is "too Christian" and that "more religions should be represented", and in was their concerns which formed the starting point for the programme's main discussion. The three people included in that discussion were all senior BBC figures: - Caroline Wyatt, BBC religious affairs correspondent - Ashley Peatfield, BBC editor, religion and ethics - Christine Morgan, BBC head of radio, religion and ethics Christine Morgan, the most senior of the three, made the foll...more »

*Photo*: Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, Taliban militants' new leader, is seen in this undated handout photograph by the Taliban. REUTERS/TALIBAN HANDOUT/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS *Reuters*:* New Afghan Taliban leader appeals for unity in first public message* The new Afghan Taliban leader appealed for unity in the insurgency in his first public message released on Saturday amid reports his predecessor's family members opposed his selection. The new head, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, was deputy for several years to the elusive one-eyed former leader Mullah Omar, who served as a unif...more »

http://johnnyrush.com/conservatives The former head of Elections Canada, Jean Pierre Kingsley, says that Stephen Harper is "gaming the system." And Kory Teneyche, the former head of Sun News, says that,when Mr. Harper has a campaign event, attendance will be by "invitation only." Ten years ago, no one would have thought that a prime minister could treat the voting public with such brazen contempt. But this is Stephen Harper. Contempt is in his DNA. Elizabeth Thompson reports: While all parties keep an eye on who is showing up for events, ...more »

Nothing is free and Windows ten makes that point crystal blue methamphetamine emphatically I was never looking out for Windows 10 its the new broken windows theory from me do not take anything from Microsoft its never risk free Its seems Microsoft wants to own you and me that's the new code for free common sense it do not make no sense no more. An upgrade used to be a good thing not planned obsolesce and personality mapping ran amok Just wait till that free software malfunctions and you need help because your life depends upon that system Do you think there might be a charge large...more »

Sen. Rand Paul says pro-life Democrats hold the key to passing legislation in the Senate that would completely defund Planned Parenthood. “There are several Democrats who say they are pro-life,” Paul tells The Daily Signal. “It’s not a guarantee that... The post Rand Paul: Pro-Life Democrats Crucial to Defunding Planned Parenthood appeared first on The Stream.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, earned more than $139 million between 2007 and 2014, according to eight years of federal income tax returns released by her campaign on Friday.... The post 2007-2014: Bill and Hillary Earned $139 Million, Mostly from Speeches to Corporate and Interest Groups appeared first on The Stream.

State Department investigators concluded this year that Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s closest aides, was overpaid by nearly $10,000 because of violations of rules governing vacation and sick leave during her tenure as an official in the department.... The post Top Clinton Aide Accused of Receiving Overpayments at State Department appeared first on The Stream.

A federal judge late Friday granted a temporary restraining order against the release of recordings made at an annual meeting of abortion providers. The injunction is against the Center for Medical Progress, the group that has unveiled Planned Parenthood’s participation... The post Obama Appointee And Bundler Blocks More Video Releases by Group behind Planned Parenthood Sting appeared first on The Stream.

*A little-known career* Sean P. Murphy I used to spend my days reviewing essays, referring students to the writing center, offering advice to students about their academic paths, writing lesson plans and assessing the effectiveness of these lesson plans after their implementation in the classroom. I was an English professor. I taught five classes per semester, with maximum enrollments of about 140 students. Now I spend my days reviewing psychiatric notes, referring patients to higher levels of care when the services of an adult outpatient psychiatric clinic cannot ease their suff...more »

Never knew until today he was a Canadian. Wild like the land of his birth, and great like the country, he made his mark. They Live his fitting epitaph. A seminal but underapreciated film that broke new ground and will be long, and fondly remembered.

Never knew until today he was a Canadian. Wild like the land of his birth, and great like the country, he made his mark. They Live his fitting epitaph. A great but underapreciated film that broke new ground and we be long remembered.

*Halfway to Hell: Global Temperatures Hit Critical Point, Warn Scientists (!)* *Ya gotta laugh! A one degree temperature rise in 135 years! Panic! No-one even noticed it until the Greenies began to froth at the mouth about it. And even that one degree embodies a prediction. The reality is around two thirds of that.They list what appear to be five interlocking temperature graphs. They are interlocking indeed. They all use the same basic terrestrial temperature readings. They are far from independent. How strange that the authors have omitted the much more compreh...more »

*Phillip Smith* - The use of DMT causes many people to make 'contact' with alien like beings. The post Do Entities From Another Universe Inhabit the Brains of DMT Users? appeared first on Waking Times.

From Paul Adams to Paul Wood... The BBC's Paul Wood has a piece on the Mediterranean immigrant crisis in *The Spectator*. *His *language tells us a fair amount about where he's coming from. It begins: A young woman in a headscarf stumbled over some rocks and onto the beach. She stood there, rigid, stunned, then burst into tears. A grandmotherly German tourist hugged her. ‘It’s over now, you’re safe,’ she said. ‘You’re in Europe.’ I *don't *think, however, that we're meant to approve of the lady with the Essex accent though, given the way Paul Wood mocks her way of speaking (and...more »

The Sunday before I started my Ph.D. program, I went up for prayer after church. I was nervous about this big step and wanted the comfort of having someone stand with me in prayer and bring my first-day jitters before... The post Science and the Christian Faith are Not at Odds appeared first on The Stream.

*Audio - *This spiritual healing music focuses on unblocking the heart chakra and energizing the whole pranic energy system The post Healing Music for Stimulating the Heart Chakra appeared first on Waking Times.

Sticking with last night's *Newsnight*, there was a section on "why the political establishment keeps getting it wrong". Kirsty Wark's introductory commentary was full of footage of past Tory PMs and the background to the following studio discussion featured images showing chaps with bowlers, top hats, bow ties and monocles - all doubtless representing *Newsnight*'s idea of "the political establishment". That's a very old-fashioned view of the establishment though, isn't it? Isn't today's establishment stuffed to the gills with a different breed - the left-liberal heirs to the 19...more »

Watch this trailer (3 minutes of your life). Voting rights are the essential fuel of democracy. If we can't trust that our electoral system is fair and properly overseen, we're screwed. This is a non-partisan issue. And should concern everyone who gives a damn about the power of the people to scare this hell out of the elites. Sensible people from across the political spectrum understand that bad laws and corrupted institutions can and will be exploited by ANY party. The makers of this documentary have been busting their butts to get this done and distributed in time to inform ...more »

We’ve seen lots of commentary on the lopsided outrage over the inhumane death of Cecil the Lion— how the incident has inspired far higher levels of fervor and indignation than the brutal systemic barbarism of the #PPSellsBabyParts controversy or the tragically unjust... The post Lopsided Outrage: Why Cecil the Lion Is Easier to Fight for Than Human Beings appeared first on The Stream.

TALLAHASSEE — Bucking a national trend, a defiant Walton County voted Tuesday after an emotional hearing to replace one Confederate flag with another one at its courthouse in the Florida Panhandle. Under intense pressure from a deeply divided citizenry, county... The post Walton County Votes to Replace One Confederate Flag With Another appeared first on The Stream.

WATERLOO, Iowa—Sen. Rand Paul said he would cut spending in a “dramatic fashion” while speaking at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center Friday morning. He spoke on his “fair and flat” tax plan. “The 70,000 page tax code is chasing... The post Rand Paul: The Tax Code Is ‘Chasing American Jobs Overseas’ appeared first on The Stream.

The gig economy put 2.1 million people to work and accounted for 30 percent of new jobs between 2010 and 2014, according to an American Action Forum report released Tuesday. The analysis finds that the number of workers in the... The post Study: Gig Economy Puts 2 Million Americans to Work, Accounts for 30 Percent of New Jobs appeared first on The Stream.

A pair of centrist Senate Democrats are weighing their options ahead of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s scheduled vote on defunding Planned Parenthood, a politically thorny decision following the release of several controversial videos allegedly showing employees for the women’s health... The post Planned Parenthood Vote Squeezes Dem Moderates appeared first on The Stream.

*infamous* ˈɪnfəməs *adjective* 1. well known for some bad quality or deed. 2. wicked; abominable. Kirsty Wark on last night's *Newsnight*: Good evening. As we come on air it is certain that migrants are desperately trying to hitch themselves to transport at Calais heading for the UK, and some of them will be children. Lorry drivers will be camped out in their cabins with nowhere to go and rotting cargo. And the authorities will be too stretched to deal with all this. In this scenario, it's hard to see who wins. But it's also hard to imagine that today's promise by the Prime Minis...more »

It seems it's Language Awareness Week *every *week now. Fail to be sufficiently 'aware' and all hell will break loose. Most 'infamously', there was the hugely-reported row over David Cameron's use of the world 'swarm', which hordes of the usual suspects claim to have found offensive, alleging that it 'dehumanises' those thus described (in this case illegal immigrants .... er, sorry Twitter.... migrants). The story of the BBC's Paul Adams finding himself on the receiving end of such a Twitter frenzy after an appearance on *BBC Breakfast *has its amusing points but, when you think ...more »

Prepare to be offended to the very core of your being. The BBC has *not *been entirely innocent of using 'dehumanising' language about all and sundry - as you can see from the following seven BBC News website articles. Ready the smelling salts, folks! 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22559526 2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-13612014 3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-32833795 4 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8204243.stm 5 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6440747.stm 6 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...more »

*Zen Gardner* - Let’s “face” it, so to speak, this world is all about perception. If you’ve ever looked through a kaleidoscope you’ll know what I’m talking about. The post Facets and the Funnel of Kaleidoscopic Perception appeared first on Waking Times.

— LAEL ARRINGTON — Planned Parenthood supporters are leaning on Congress and the media to kill the story of what’s really going on inside America’s abortion trade. It reminds me of how England’s slave ship owners did not want the... The post Planned Parenthood Videos Is This a Wilberforce Moment for the Church? appeared first on The Stream.

[image: Mistral class LHD]Talks between Russia and France concerning the future of the Mistral contract have ended. The contract will be terminated in the near future, a top Russian official has stated. Paris and Moscow have agreed on and amount of the penalty France will have to pay Russia for not delivering the Mistral helicopter carriers, and the date on which it must be paid, thus bringing the negotiations to conclusion. The contract will be cancelled shortly, Vladimir Kozhin, the Assistant to the President for military and technical cooperation, told RIA Novosti. Read more

The Navy’s new littoral combat ships, all of which are based in San Diego, will get new Longbow Hellfire missiles following a series of successful tests. During the tests off the coast of Virginia, the details of which were released Thursday, the missiles successfully destroyed a series of maneuvering small boat targets, hitting seven our of eight. “This test was very successful and overall represents a big step forward,” said Capt. Casey Moton, program manager. Read more

[image: Boeing 767-2C (KC-46)]In a new setback just weeks before the planned first flight of a fully outfitted KC-46 Air Force tanker, the Boeing plane's fueling system has been damaged by a chemical mix-up, temporarily grounding the jet. The jet -- the first test plane outfitted with working air-refueling systems and designated as a tanker -- was at the fuel dock on Paine Field last week when mechanics used the wrong chemical during a test of the fuel system, according to people familiar with the details. The chemical, supplied by a vendor and mislabeled, caused corrosion and dama...more »

[image: Su T-50 PAK-FA]Russia and India will continue their co-development of a fifth-generation fighter plane after signing an experimental design contract, India’s defense minister said on Friday. "The preliminary stage of the project was completed in June 2013 and the next phase of development will commence after we have signed off on the experimental design contract,” Manohar Parrikar said in a written answer to a pertinent question from two members of the lower house of parliament. Speaking on the sidelines of the Aero India-2015 show in Bangalore in February the president of R...more »

[image: Aerostar Tactical UAV]The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) plans to create two squadrons of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the first of their kind in Thailand, pending budget approval. Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Tritos Sonchaeng said the squadrons will be based at Wing 4 in Nakhon Sawan, which is currently made up of four squadrons of Lead-in jet fighters, F-16 fighter jets, and Arava patrol aircraft. The proposal comes amid reports the air force is about to decommission the fleet of three Arava patrol aircraft purchased from Israel 36 years ago. Read more

Two self-identifying lesbian women recently presented themselves to a Municipal Court Judge in Toledo, Ohio, asking him to officiate their wedding. Judge C. Allen McConnell was on rotation under the local rules of court, which made him available for officiating marriages.... The post The “Soft” Beginning of the Post-*Obergefell* Persecution appeared first on The Stream.

[image: P-8I Neptune]Boeing has ended $4.7 million contract with Indian Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) citing shoddy production quality of components for the nation’s P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. “Boeing decided to end the contract after repeated remainders to HAL about its ‘poor quality’ of production. Boeing’s move underlines the need for better strategies by Indian policy makers in order to bolster the order books of defense public sector undertakings (DPSUs),” Financial Express quoted unnamed sources as saying Thursday. Boeing has shifted its ...more »

[image: F-35B Lightning II]U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General Joseph Dunford has declared an initial squadron of 10 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35B fighter jets ready for combat, marking a key milestone for the Pentagon's biggest weapons program, the Pentagon said on Friday. The decision makes the Marines the first U.S. military service to declare an "initial operational capability" for the stealth supersonic F-35 fighter under the $391 billion arms program that first kicked off in 2001. Lockheed is developing three models of the jet, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, or Lightnin...more »

[image: USS Cole (DDG-67)]Norfolk firefighters battled a blaze aboard the USS Cole, an official said. Shortly before 8:45 p.m. Thursday, units with Norfolk Fire-Resuce were callled to Marine Hydraulics' Midtown Pier facility in the 1200 block of Warrington Avenue and directed to the destroyers, said Norfolk Fire-Rescue spokesman Bill Tull. , they found Navy personnel addressing the fire below deck in the galley area, said Norfolk Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Bill Tull. Norfolk Fire-Rescue dispatched 24 firefighters to help bring the fire under control after Navy personnel were found ...more »

Most popular last month were: 1. Jeremy Corbyn and Hard Left "Infiltration" 2. Understanding Jeremy Corbyn's Support 3. Harriet Harman's Tax Credit Debacle 4. Some Advice for Andy and Yvette 5. Understanding Labour's Abstentions Third highest ever monthly viewing figures? That will do nicely, thanks. Yes, going by the posts that got readers' juices flowing last month you could be forgiven for thinking the blog has become a subsidiary of LabourList. What it does reflect is a wider spread of political interest in the Labour Party and how we can make sense of the eruption, seemingly fro...more »

While plenty of products are foisted on us as “natural,” let’s be honest, they’re not and we know it. “Natural” means as it occurs in nature: blackberries in a meadow or fresh venison. “Natural” foods according to the USDA are... The post The Abolition of Nature and the Abolition of Man appeared first on The Stream.

Yes, he did that, but way more he created an idea that was simple and that all policy makers could consider. It really was elementary. You understand that man makes bargains and this must be facilitated for an economy to prosper. This idea has been challenged but has always won the day. Now no one really seriously argues otherwise. There are additional ideas that need also to be propagated in order to eliminate poverty but we have waited this long. All knowledge is based on foundational conceptualizations. Adam Smith put our modern economy upon a rational basis that...more »

The story goes on of course and we are generally encouraged to dismiss this whole piece of our human reality. Let us pretend that the alien presence is a fiction put together by conspiracy theorists. All very nice and neat. Except greater that 10,000 independent observations all conforming to a huge alien presence on Earth and throughout the solar system . Add in the studied lack of curiosity from all government agencies and it dos not square the circle at all. Then we have our own understanding of how secrecy works to stifle information sharing. I am so sorry, i can not...more »

[image: http://www.wakingtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Kepler.jpg] Extremely unusual and yes it is important. We have a handful of such stars and they are specific to a star type. Can we generate that signal using our knowledge of theory such that this signal happens naturally. I do not think we know enough yet. However i do expect that will be the correct answer. That it is specific to one star type is a pointer in the direction of a natural process tied to this star type. I cannot imagine a great star faring culture selecting one type. It is certainly unusual....more »

This is a difficult question. Math demands two key talents. One of them is speed. You must be able to sprint in order to dash ahead of your peers and to gain encouragement. No one respects a slow mathematician. The second is mathematical insight. Without it one is dependent on memory and that is problematic in terms of creativity. Everyone else keys in on using memory to support mathematical tools. That is why we memorize the times table and there is really no other way. After all that you must still do ten thousand hours of practice to become good or even survive....more »

*The tradition continues. This will be a month of inspirational writings, poetry, art and music that will hopefully transport you (if you so wish) from your human to your humane.* *All are welcome here. We gather together from many different Lands, beliefs, institutions and "isms". For just a short while let us step aside from our ego preferences that hinder us and keep us from our innate creativity. * *Let us step into that which is best within ourselves and have no fear.* *I hope that you all enjoy your visits this month of August, 2014 as you journey with a "Stranger In ...more »

U.S. Marines fire a howitzer at the Bradshaw Field Training Area in Australia on July 17, 2015. Thank you to GySgt. Ismael Pena for capturing this image! The post Military Photo of the Day: August 1, 2015 appeared first on The Stream.

ISIS Media *Noah Feldman, Bloomberg:* *Islamic State Makes the Taliban Nervous* The Taliban's smooth and rapid transition after their acknowledgment of Mullah Omar's death sends a strong message: They are afraid of the potential rise of Islamic State in Afghanistan if they fail to project unity. That reality should be useful to the U.S. government as it tries to negotiate a transition deal with the Afghan government and the Taliban. It's still true that the Taliban can demand something close to de facto control as part of the deal. But now, the Taliban have an incentive to talk th...more »

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reportedly ready to go to war with the U.S. and South Korea. Pictured: Kim gave field guidance to the Jangchon Vegetable Co-op Farm in Sadong District, Pyongyang City, which has undergone a radical change to be a model and a standard of the socialist rural cultural construction, in this undated photo. Reuters/KCNA *IBTimes*: *North Korea US War? Kim Jong-Un Ready For Conflict With United States and 'Puppet' South Korea* North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un claimed Friday he was ready to go to war with the United States and the "puppet" South Korean re...more »

A J-10A of the People's Liberation Army Air Force seen at the Zhuhai Airshow. Wikipedia *Sputnik:* *Well That’s Embarrassing: Israel May Be Indirectly Giving Weapons to Iran* Israel has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, citing fears of an attack. But Tel Aviv may be inadvertently supplying Tehran with its own military technology, thanks to a deal between Tehran and the Chinese government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Iran nuclear deal, seeing his nation as a prime target should its nemesis use the li...more »

*We could have had, like, a little memorial service? Or maybe sent a nice floral arrangement? (A local florist would have known what's in season over there.)* Milt Bearden, a former CIA operative in Pakistan and Afghanistan, said that “it is beyond puzzling” that Omar’s death could go unconfirmed for so long, especially given the intelligence and surveillance capabilities of the United States. But “it’s another case of why intelligence collection in that part of the world is so difficult,” Bearden said. “The truth is layered, and there are multiple agendas, none of which we ever r...more »

No one living has missed the slogan “Black Lives Matter”! Even presidential contenders have been scolded because of their opinions about this slogan. But what about the economics of the black and brown communities? As the United States continues to... The post Black Money Matters! appeared first on The Stream.

While some teachers might complain about the size of their paycheck, Detroit Public School teachers are hardly surprised when they don’t get a check at all. “We need something that will effectively, regularly pay the teachers what they’re owed. They... The post Detroit Public School Teachers Go Unpaid appeared first on The Stream.

The Army is nearly 14% short of the recruits it will need to fill its ranks, marking the first time in six years — and only the third in the last 20 — that it may fall short of its... The post Army Faces Recruit Deficit in 2015 appeared first on The Stream.

Yes, I am back... The vacation was indeed much needed, and I spent my time basically having some fun and relaxing and absolutely not worrying about what the hell the so called Jewish "elite" are doing to the planet.... But all good things must eventually come to an end, and it is indeed time that I get back to the business of exposing some truths in our sick world.... I figure that to start off, I would do a mini "rant" here to do some catching up on some important news that I have missed over the last few weeks..... I will of course cover a lot more in my weekly rant this Sunday, ...more »

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Friday blocked the release of any recordings made at meetings of an abortion providers’ association by an anti-abortion group that previously revealed secretly recorded videos of a Planned Parenthood leader. Judge William... The post Federal Judge Blocks Release of Sting Videos Targeting the National Abortion Federation appeared first on The Stream.

An illegal immigrant accused of attempted rape and murder during a violent crime spree Monday was released by Ohio sheriff’s deputies three weeks ago after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents told the officers not to detain him. Juan Emmanuel... The post Illegal Immigrant Charged With Murder Was Previously Detained appeared first on The Stream.

The University of New Hampshire has a “Bias-Free Language Guide.” As the document assures its readers, it “is not meant to represent absolute requirements of language use.” (Universities have tried imposing absolute requirements of language use, only to be struck... The post Everything Is Problematic, University Guide Explains appeared first on The Stream.

Due to extremely poor ratings, MSNBC formally announced Thursday it will bring down the ax on Ed Schultz and Alex Wagner. It turns out hate-mongering against conservative Republicans and sucking up to far-left Democrats is not a great way to... The post MSNBC Axes Left-Leaning Shows Due to Poor Ratings appeared first on The Stream.

“A deer gets trapped on a hillside and every effort is brought to bear to rescue him from his predicament. The newspapers carry daily features.” The late Dorothy Day was writing about the contrast between how we sometimes treat animal... The post All Lives Matter appeared first on The Stream.

One evening three weeks ago in Kifissia, an affluent garden suburb of Athens, a retired financial adviser and his wife decided to take in one of the delights of summer here, an outdoor movie. They pulled tight the shutters, set... The post Greek Debt Crisis Adds to a Spike in Crime appeared first on The Stream.

Politico reported that high-powered firm SKDKnickerbocker is helping Planned Parenthood manage its public relations crisis over the release of footage showing its medical officials engaged in the trafficking of organs harvested from recently aborted children. SKDKnickerbocker sent out a memo... The post Public Relations Firm SKDKnickerbocker Scrubs Website Of Tie To Planned Parenthood appeared first on The Stream.

Wikipedia *Reuters:* *How Pentagon war fund became a budget buster Washington can't resist* WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. troops deployed in battle zones is at its lowest level since before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Still, Congress has authorized a 38 percent increase in the war budget over last year. The contradiction is the legacy of an emergency war fund, started in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, that has become a favorite Washington way to sidestep the impact of fiscal constraints on military spending. The Overseas Contingency Operations account, o...more »

“Almost every object in the below photograph is a galaxy. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies pictured above is one of the densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies. Each of these galaxies houses billions of stars - just as our own Milky Way Galaxy does. Although nearby when compared to most other clusters, light from the Coma Cluster still takes hundreds of millions of years to reach us. *Click image for larger size.* In fact, the Coma Cluster is so big it takes light millions of years just to go from one side to the other! Most galaxies in Coma and other clusters are ell...more »

*“The World in the Evening”* by Rachel Sherwood "As this suburban summer wanders toward dark cats watch from their driveways — they are bored and await miracles. The houses show, through windows flashes of knife and fork, the blue light of televisions, inconsequential fights between wife and husband in the guest bathroom voices sound like echoes in these streets the chattering of awful boys as they plot behind the juniper and ivy, miniature guerillas that mimic the ancient news of the world and shout threats, piped high across mock fences to girls riding by in the last pieces of light t...more »

*"Sic Et Non"* by Chet Raymo "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." - Aristotle "Richard Capobianco's explanation of what philosophers do- or should do- strikes me as on the mark. So, to put it simply, good philosophy keeps our unknowing in view, and therefore keeps us thinking, keeps us questioning, keeps us wondering. Good philosophy keeps us unsettled in our knowing. Yes, it would be good to have a department in every college and university whose function is to remind us of the limitations of our knowing. There is enough dogmatism to ...more »

"Well, it is our fate to live in a time of crisis. To live in a time when all forms and values are being challenged. In other and more easy times, it was not, perhaps, necessary for the individual to confront himself with a clear question: What is it that you really believe? What is it that you really cherish? What is it for which you might, actually, in a showdown, be willing to die?...I say, with all the reticence which such large, pathetic words evoke, that one cannot exist today as a person – one cannot exist in full consciousness – without having to have a showdown with one’s s...more »

"Almost all Americans have had an intense school experience which occupied their entire youth, an experience during which they were drilled thoroughly in the culture and economy of the well-schooled greater society, in which individuals have been rendered helpless to do much of anything except watch television or punch buttons on a keypad. Before you begin to blame the childish for being that way and join the chorus of those defending the general imprisonment of adults and the schooling by force of children because there isn’t any other way to handle the mob, you want to at least c...more »

"5 Emotional Vampires and How to Combat Them" by Therese J. Borchard "I thought you'd all appreciate some vampire talk. In her book, "Emotional Freedom," UCLA psychiatrist Judith Orloff identifies five kinds of vampires that are lurking around and can zap our energy if we're not careful. Here is an excerpt adapted from her book: 'Emotional vampires are lurking everywhere and wear many different disguises - from needy relatives to workplace bullies. Whether they do so intentionally or not, these people can make us feel overwhelmed, depressed, defensive, angry, and wiped out. Without...more »

An X-47B drone combat aircraft. Final targeting decisions are made by military personnel but mistakes by contractors could lead to the wrong people being killed. Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters *The Guardian:* *Revealed: Private firms at heart of US drone warfare* Corporate staff are reviewing top-secret data and helping uniformed colleagues decide whether people under surveillance are enemies or civilians. The overstretched US military has hired hundreds of private-sector contractors to the heart of its drone operations to analyse top-secret video feeds and help track suspected te...more »

From *Wikipedia*: The Train is a 1964 war film directed by John Frankenheimer from a story and screenplay by Franklin Coen and Frank Davis, based on the non-fiction book Le front de l'art by Rose Valland, who documented the works of art placed in storage that had been looted by the Germans from museums and private art collections. It stars Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, and Jeanne Moreau. Set in August 1944, the film, shot in black-and-white, sets French Resistance-member Paul Labiche (Lancaster) against German Colonel Franz von Waldheim (Scofield), who is attempting to move stole...more »

*Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal:* *The Taliban’s new leadership is allied with al Qaeda * The Taliban has announced that a new emir and two deputy emirs have been chosen to lead the organization following the confirmation of Mullah Omar’s death. The Taliban’s new emir is Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, a longtime deputy to Omar. Mansour previously served as the minister of civil aviation and transportation during the Taliban’s rule from 1996 to 2001 and as the group’s shadow governor for the Kandahar province. *Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 31,...more »

We had a 12-hour day yesterday as we made the long drive to northern Kyoto prefecture along the beautiful sea coast to Ukawa village where the US has deployed a 'missile defense' (MD) radar aimed at China. Our group of 50 activists from a dozen countries arrived in time for lunch at a local community center. We were joined by about 20 members of the village committee who are actively resisting the radar deployment. After some short speeches of welcome and introduction the village leaders shared their outrage over the base which took land from 50 families in the community. ...more »

As I was looking for something else, I stumbled across a diary page that had been given to me some twenty years ago. It was one of the very few documents that suggested that what fell outside of Roswell was something alien or that was what I had been told it meant. The two entries that were relevant said, “7-4-47 Object down – 2317 – Radar Target Gone,” and “7-5-47 Found Wreckage 0200…” Diary page suggesting the UFO crash. I also interviewed a former member of the 1395th MP Company who had been stationed in Roswell in July 1947. Leo Spear told me on June 3, 1994, that he was a PVT E...more »

The DCCC has long looked the Republicans for congressional recruits. Rahm Emanuel, Chris Van Hollen and Steve Israel are all guilty of recruiting conservative Republicans to run as Democrats-- almost all of whom joined the Blue Dogs or New Dems and subsequently lost their seats. They lost their seats when Democratic voters realized they'd be sold a bill of goods by the DCCC and then refused to go out too the polls and vote fourths phonies. That they lost their seats-- and drove the Democratic Party into the minority in the House, a minority that could last decades, hasn't slowed t...more »

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About Me

I've been 'around' for a few years now, pursuing the shifting goal of a sharable home-made surfers resource site focused on ease of use and variety of mostly adult ( whoa : I didn't say prurient ) content.